Lincoln Riley says Caleb Williams would have walked on at Oklahoma if not offered
Lincoln Riley believes Caleb Williams is primed for his jump to the NFL. However, the head coach also acknowledged Williams’ ascent has gone “really fast.”
“For Caleb, it’s all happened really fast. You get out here, you win the Heisman. The last 4 years, he’s only played 2 and a half years of football,” said Riley during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show. “He’s still really young and still in his climb but he’s excited about it and he’s got a great mindset.”
To describe that mindset, Riley told a story about initially recruiting the quarterback to Oklahoma. Per Riley, the Sooners were not initially planning on taking Williams, but the QB insisted he would walk on to the team if he had to.
“The thing I’ve always appreciated about him is he’s always thinking about the next step. and it’s always the big picture,” Riley explained. “At Oklahoma, there was a time in the beginning where we weren’t going to take him and he said ‘Fine coach, I’ll walk on.’ That’s his mindset, it’s always about that next step, so he’s ready for this.”
There’s no denying Williams’ talent with the star QB for the Trojans and Sooners is widely regarded as a generational prospect for the NFL. He leads the odds to be the No. 1 pick in April, and fans can head to ESPN Bet to get in on all the action.
“It’s all happened really fast for Caleb Williams and he’s got a great mindset..
There was a time at Oklahoma where we weren’t gonna take him and he said he would walk on..
He’s ready for this and we’re excited for him”@LincolnRiley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/EPqqk3iypj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 5, 2024